How to Tell
by Star the Cat
Summary: After Mime finds out about Emmet's true father, he is stuck between the two biological parents to either tell Emmet the truth, or to supress it and let him go on with his carefree life.
1. What do you do with a drunken brother?

"Mister mime!" a white raccoon shouted. Mime was reading the newspaper, then put it down, giving his attention to the white raccoon.

"Yes Emmet?"

"Daddy said you were gonna watch me this weekend!" he exclaimed. Mime sighed. Emmet was Lifty and Lammy's son, as far as he knew. Mime was the godfather. Unfortunately, he was the babysitter, too. Emmet wasn't all that bad, though; he was just like his mother, Lammy, very playful and caring. However, his wildly playful and influential side, he doesn't know. It was probably the fact he was only 6.

Mime, however, rarely talked. He was only comfortable with Emmet and Mole, his boyfriend. Then again, he needed to talk to mole. He couldn't be silent like he usually is, or else he'd probably get lost or think it's a burglar or murderer. He's tried before. Mime forgave him for the Halloween incident of not only losing candy, but his head. And even afterward, when it was turned into a jack-o-lantern. Mime loved him anyway.

For some odd reason, Emmet was blind on one eye; well, not blind, but in a condition where he could only see darkness surrounding an object he sees in one eye. The other is fine. It was kind of like Russell's condition, when he doesn't have his contacts. Lammy really didn't trust Emmet with contacts, so he needed Mime's voice, too.

"Mister Mime?" Emmet called. Mime was getting slightly annoyed today. The fact Mole caused two crashes today in the paper and Pop and Cub dying because of Flippy was enough to be annoyed about.

Nonetheless, he kept his calm voice and answered,

"Yes Emmet?"

"Can we visit Uncle Shifty?" he asked. Since Lifty left, Shifty was living alone, still committing crimes like in the old days when they were a duo. Lifty, however, wasn't so into that anymore. Shifty sometimes asked him to play a bit of pool, get some beer or at least make a little money gambling. Lifty still refused, and usually had a bit of a temper whenever his brother was around. Mime knew something was wrong, however, it wasn't his business.

"Later, okay?" he answered. Mime knew Shifty was a criminal; however, he was good with kids. Emmet always liked him better, considering Shifty actually is into some of the things Emmet is into, proving he was only a thieving child at heart.

As he promised, Mime took Emmet to Shifty's house. Shifty had his usual smirk, and hazy stare. He was drunk, again.

"Um, Shifty?" Mime called out. Shifty only purred.

"Ohey Lammy…! H-How's my son?..." the drunkard called.

"Um…My name's Mime…and don't you mean your nephew?"

"No! d-don't you remember that one night, and afterwards you said-"

"OOOOOOOOOOOOKAY, EMMET, THIS ISN'T A GOOD TIME!" Mime exclaimed, picking up Emmet. For some odd reason, Mime didn't like Emmet hearing these things, though, surprisingly, he has a small idea what he's talking about. Lifty and Lammy should close the door more often.

Mime, however, was still confused. What was he talking about, 'son'? he couldn't possibly mean Emmet, now could he?

Then again, it was hard to tell. Lifty and Shifty looked the same, and Shifty sometimes blurted out the truth when he was drunk. But Mime knew better than to trust him. He decided for now that he was just imagining things.

"Mister Mime?" Emmet asked.

"Yes?"

"I'm hungry" Emmet cooed. Mime sighed. It was an annoying, yet shocking day. And all he wanted to do was read the paper.


	2. To tell, or not to tell

"…He IS Shifty's…" Lammy sighed. Mime couldn't believe what he just heard.

The both were at the park, where Emmet was outside playing with Cub.

"Shifty…h-he got annoyed by his brother because after he met me, he became less interested in chaos and stealing or chicks. So, he wanted to teach both him and me a lesson…" Lammy explained. Mime sighed. He signaled that he was sorry. Lammy continued.

"I found out that Emmet was his pretty much right away…around then, I decided to keep it a secret from Lifty. I never wanted to hurt his feelings. Shifty knew this…so he blackmailed me. I had to let him live in my apartment, clean up every mess he made, basically I was his Slave…" Lammy trailed off. She looked away.

"Around 5 months later, I did something wrong…I tried to kill him…But so he could leave. I was so foolish. So foolish to even try and to hope he never came back…I lost Mr. Pickles that night…To me, his death wasn't in vain…" she stopped for a second, then looked back at Mime, who was almost in tears.

"The stupid incident made me drink a couple times that month. My fault for causing Emmet's condition. I finally told Lifty, who didn't really care if it wasn't his, but he did hate his brother more than ever, now. Emmet doesn't know…" she finished.

Mime thought for a second. _That's why Lifty hates Shifty…And Emmet's Blindness…but…_

"If you don't mind, can you do what you do best and not tell anyone about this. Especially Emmet." Lammy requested. Mime nodded.

~later~

"Tell him." Shifty growled. Mime looked shocked.

"B-But why?"

"The boy deserves to know…plus one less brother to visit just to see an albino raccoon that is your son." Called Shifty. Obviously he was in the state of hung-over and still drunk. More on the hangover side, though. Mime stared. Despite his efforts to torture lammy and his history of theft, murder, and illegal gambling and drug dealing, he was a good guy somewhere. SOMEWHERE.

"'Sides, I'd want someone to tell me my dad isn't actually my dad, and that I belonged to someone else. The kids want truth, Mime, old bud…" Shifty burped. "Who are you to be deprive him o-of it…?"

Mime swore a couple of harsh words to himself. The drunken thief made a point for once. It was about then Mime found Emmet coming out of the bathroom, finding a lizard, some pirate hats, and toy pez guns. Mime didn't want to know about the lizard.

"What do you want to do today, Peter Parker?" Emmet asked the lizard. Mime smiled, slightly, then frowned again, remembering that he may have to tell him about his real father…and to either watch him become heartbroken, scarred, or even happy.

Oh, how to tell?


	3. This about sex?

"Damnit, Shifty!" Mime shouted. Mole twitched his ear, put down the book he was reading, and looked back at Mime, or where his voice came from, anyway.

"Having troubles, love?" Mole asked. Mime sighed, and then noticed Emmet was behind him, holding the lizard he had earlier.

"Emmet, go and take…uh…Peter Parker to his friends, okay?" Mime whispered. Emmet nodded and went to the guest room.

"Alright, what did Shifty tell you THIS time?" Mole growled. Mime sighed. "Everything."

"Is this about sex?" Mole asked. Mime jumped back in disgust.

"NO!"

"Murder?"

"No…"

"…sex?"

"NO MOLE!" Mime shouted. "WELL…sort of. It's about Emmet." Mime finished. Mole seemed up for gossip. Mime was only up for a talk.

Meanwhile, Emmet found his lizard tank full of about 6 or 7 lizards. He smiled as he put Peter Parker with the rest of them.

"There you go, Peter Parker. Meet Peter Parker, Peter Parker, Peter Parker, Peter Parker, Peter Parker, Peter _Pancake_, and Peter Parker," he introduced. The lizard simply laid down in the heat.

Emmet heard Mime talking, then went to the room he and Mole were in. Emmet had no idea what they were talking about, but it had something to do with his "uncle" Shifty.

"Mister Mime?" he called. Mime glared at the young raccoon.

"Emmet, I told you to go to your room!" Mime growled. Emmet looked a bit sorry and frightened. Mime never really yelled or snapped at him, so he knew it was a bad time. He slumped to the guest room.

Mole sighed. "How are you gonna tell him? He'll find out sooner or later. Just a matter of time. Why not now?"

Mole was right. There was no way Lammy and Lifty were going to tell him. Shifty was too bad of a parent to even try, Mime was the only one he actually really trusted, since he babysat him most of the time. Mime was really the only one that would, could, and should tell him.

"…Sure…I-I'll tell him in a couple of days…Emmet should deserve a few last days of happiness." Mime muttered.

Mole shrugged as he went back to laying down, trying to read. Mime went back to Emmet's room. Seeing it was the last few days of how his life is, now, he'd thought he'd do something special.

"Emmet, get ready. We're going to that water park you wanted to go to."


	4. Damn my big, fat, loving heart

"Thanks for taking me to get ice cream, mister mime!" Emmet exclaimed. Mime nodded. It had been a few days, and just as Mime promised, he was ready to tell him.

"Listen, Emmet…Sit down…" he spoke, calmly. Emmet obeyed.

"Um…remember uncle Shifty?" Mime asked. Emmet nodded. Mime thought of something then. What if Emmet turned out like Shifty? A drunken thief with nothing to do with his life but to sit around drinking all day singing 70's songs which he clearly can't sing? Or what if, upon finding out all of this, he'll be suicidal when he's older? What if he tries to kill himself RIGHT AFTER he tells him? What if he never forgave his mother, or Mime, or even Shifty? And upon himself, what'll Lammy do? Mime looked back at the innocent, 6; almost 7 year old's eyes. Emmet smiled, looking at him.

"Mister Mime? Are you okay? What did you want to tell me?" Emmet asked. Mime glanced at Emmet.

"…Th-that we're gonna take a visit to uncle Shifty's later!" Mime exclaimed. He couldn't bring himself to say it. Now he understood what Lammy and Lifty felt.

"Okay! Do you think we can go on an adventure?" Emmet asked. He started to stand on the bench they were on.

"Emmet, don't stand on the bench like that!" Mime scolded.

"I love adventures! Uncle Shifty plays pirates with me all the time!" Emmet mewed.

"…He does?" Mime tilted his head in confusion and worry.

"Yeah! But mama breaks up the fun…she's boring."

"What were you doing?"

"Having an adventure."

"What kind of adventure?"

"I was a pirate, and he was Blackbeard!"

"Um…really?"

"Yeah…I love adventures…" Emmet yawned.

"I'm sure you do, Emmet…" Mime calmly whispered. Emmet seemed tired out, and lay down on Mime's lap. Mime pet his hair gently, watching him fall asleep. He had to face it; the raccoon was too innocent, too happy to have his life ruined by the truth.


	5. The abandoned twins

"You insincere bastard!"

Mime opened Shifty's door just a crack, covering Emmet's ears.

"You told him to tell my son?" Lammy yelled. Shifty glared.

"Don't be such a bitch, sheep. If I were you, I'd be happy it was him, not me." Shifty growled. "You're even more shallow than I am right now, keeping this a secret."

"It's my decision! I have full custody of Emmet, I can tell as much or as little as I need," Lammy growled.

"And when were you going to tell him? You drop him off with Mime all day almost every week. Who the hell will he trust? You or that silent purple idiotic deer?" Shifty asked. Lammy stood silent for a second.

"Face it, sheep. You'll never get a chance at this rate. Do you know why I'm this way now?" Shifty growled.

Mime left Emmet outside, stepping inside and closing the door so he wouldn't hear.

"It's because me and Lifty were _abandoned_. Our parents didn't even WANT us! We were lucky enough to have this woman keep us; and she was utter crap!" Shifty barked, tears in his eyes. He took off his fedora, putting it on the sofa.

"My 'family' had to struggle for money, food, medical care…HELL; we had to spend nights on the fucking street!"

"Shifty-"

"Get out. Keep the secret from the dumbass kid for all I care." Shifty growled. He noticed Mime, looking slightly shocked.

"What the hell do you want, Mime?" Shifty growled. Emmet ran inside, seeing Lammy and Shifty. Mime picked him up.

"If you would stop fighting for one second…" Mime calmly muttered. Lammy was slightly shocked that mime was actually talking. Shifty; not so much. The raccoon picked up his fedora and looked back at Emmet. He got up, put his fedora on Emmet, and left.

Mime stared at the figure that was slowly disappearing. Where exactly was he going? Was he coming back? The silent deer watched Emmet play around with the fedora. Then, one certain question came across his head.

_Does he care?_


	6. Paula

Shifty finally stopped walking in the outskirts of town. He saw a very small, very unhappy neighborhood. His old neighborhood.

Shifty stopped at a bar, seeing Lumpy cleaning the last off the glasses. A brown, female fox and Flippy were there, Flippy being surprisingly drunk. The brown fox only had two shots, maybe. Shifty took a seat next to the fox.

"Bloody Mary. Don't forget the cherries, punk," Shifty growled. Lumpy nodded and served the drink in no time at all.

"Bloody Mary at 3:00 in the morning? What's your problem?" the fox asked.

"Family problems. You and Flippy had a drink or two. What happened?" Shifty asked.

"Just got out of prison. The old bastard's drinking his anger away. His girlfriend and kid left him," The fox replied. Shifty shrugged.

"That…doesn't surprise me, really. I'm surprised Flaky didn't leave sooner," Shifty said as he took a sip.

"Fuck the red sonofa…" Flippy called out like some drunken sailor. Shifty shrugged.

"Y'know, you're pretty tight. Name's Paula." The fox introduced herself.

"Shifty." Shifty replied. Paula looked a bit confused.

"Funny…You don't have the fedora…" Paula murmured.

"Gave it to my son. Don't need it anymore. I'm just as soft as my brother, why not just throw it away and look like him?" Shifty growled. Paula smiled and wrote something down on a piece of paper. She passed it to him, afterward.

"You know, I'm getting lonely…You're getting soft…come over when you need to…" she purred in his ear. She paid for the drinks and left, leaving Shifty alone with Lumpy and Flippy.

That was around the time Lifty came in.


End file.
